Pearl Technology recently hosted Central Illinois Cyber 2023 (CIC23) on Wednesday, October 18, at Embassy Suites in East Peoria as part of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. A non-profit cybersecurity event, CIC23 is presented annually and offers attendees an opportunity to learn cybersecurity trends from a variety of leaders in the private and public sectors. In addition, attendees can choose to attend a cyber “Capture the Flag” (CTF) exercise, which consists of a series of challenges that vary in difficulty, requiring the application of numerous skill sets to solve it. Once a challenge is completed, players receive a “flag” and submit for points. Challenges often have hints along the way, building off a common theme at the event.